I just love the Winter Olympics! There is something special sharing the experience with family and friends. All the Olympians are amazing, they perform to their best at the moment, they have truly unique and amazing journeys, and their preparation and visioning is astounding. It sparks good conversation with my kids about setting goals, preparation, grace, things that go wrong and things that go right. I stand in awe!
So, right now I am aware that I can learn a lot about my facilitative leadership from these athletes. From Vonn’s visualization of her race, to the extensive preparation by Teter and Mancuso, to White’s drive to push the envelope, to the Grace of Jacobellis as she lost her bid for a medal, to the celebration of medalists. My musings follow:
Visualization: Do I take the time to visualize a successful outcome as a leader and a team member? How might I build greater mastery in this? At ideaconnect we focus a lot on visualizing successful outcomes through a variety of tools, our Success Looks Like Template; use of pictures and collages, conversations. And watching the Olympians reminds me again, just how important this is, not to be taken for granted.
Preparation: Am I honoring the time it takes to prepare? What do I need to increase my preparation skills? How can I lead myself and others in preparing? When the athletes know their successful outcome, they then focus on preparation….something I know I could practice more.
Pushing the Envelope: Am I trusting in the power of possibilities? That I might not be able to do something now, but my vision will take me beyond the status quo? Lots of emotions are connected with pushing the envelope, it is the trust and the inner knowing that open the possibilities.
Grace: In what ways does Grace show up in my life? How do I express Grace as I am working or leading a group? One way that comes to mind is speaking honestly and without assumptions and understanding that Grace is always available to us.
Celebration: Do I honor the importance of celebration? A celebration replenishes, it honors the effort, it closes one thing and opens another. I like celebrating.
I look forward to another week of the Olympics. How do the Olympians inform your facilitative leadership?
Friday, February 19, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
It's Exciting! Well, don't get too excited...
Our web store is being loaded! Seems the details are unlimited in this endeavor. We have no real idea what’s involved but we are super appreciative of Gypsy Quaker, our website gurus. A recent communication went like this, via e-mail.
Linda: “Our web store is getting loaded….how exciting!”
GQ Guru response: “Well don't get too excited. I just uploaded a corrupt file and deleted all of the product variations for most of the templates! My eyes are crossing so I am going to stop for now before I really screw the site up….”
Linda: “I'm still excited. And, I think it is good to take breaks, especially if eye sight is involved.“
One step and a time … the details are coming into focus and becoming clearer….still a lot to go. But, it is very, very cool, especially when you have amazing support in place.
Linda: “Our web store is getting loaded….how exciting!”
GQ Guru response: “Well don't get too excited. I just uploaded a corrupt file and deleted all of the product variations for most of the templates! My eyes are crossing so I am going to stop for now before I really screw the site up….”
Linda: “I'm still excited. And, I think it is good to take breaks, especially if eye sight is involved.“
One step and a time … the details are coming into focus and becoming clearer….still a lot to go. But, it is very, very cool, especially when you have amazing support in place.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Setting Intention for Expansive Innovative Use of Technology
For the past several years, we’ve been studying with Lisa Michaels, Founding Director Natural Rhythms™ Institute. Working with the wheel of the year and amping up our collective intention setting has been just one of the ways we have applied what we have learned from Lisa.
This is what she shared with Natural Rhythms members about the New Moon in Aquarius:
“Aquarius, an Air sign, creates the eleventh astrological gate of awareness, teaching the importance of innovation. Air functions in the mental realm of thoughts, ideas, vibration and perspective. Aquarius as the most expanded Air sign brings a cosmic perspective on life and often brings radical new ideas to humanity. Aquarius is the detached, free-spirited visionary exploring unconventional territory. It is interested in helping the world become a better place through humanitarian ideals of love and truth. Aquarius is unique, inventive, progressive and original.
This new moon brings you innovative and progressive original ideas to help you gain insight and get a cosmic perspective on your life vision. This is the time to launch new ideas, explore unconventional and unique systems, create your own way of doing things, and take risks. Aquarius’s ability to revolutionize your thinking helps you to take a quantum leap in some area of your life.”
So, here we go!!! As the IdeaConnect Partners, we collectively set intention to:
Increase our use of and openness to be supported by new Technology and radical innovation; to be able to jump in and to be supported toward realization of our 2014 Vision.
Allow any blockages, fears, challenges or obstacles to be instantly cleared away to allow ease of interaction with and utilization of the new, the radical, the ever changing and evolving Technology.
To be supported by our current technology: so we may bring our unique expression into the world and support and connect with others in development of Facilitative Leadership; seeding interest, curiosity and meaningful development of Facilitative Leadership around the world.
To access and harness what is most helpful – the most up to date Technology – for development of all our Cool Tools, workshops and trainings; to explore new ways of bringing Cool Tools, trainings, workshops and forums to others through the web and other digital formats.
So Be It!!
With Love and Gratitude, Lynette
This is what she shared with Natural Rhythms members about the New Moon in Aquarius:
“Aquarius, an Air sign, creates the eleventh astrological gate of awareness, teaching the importance of innovation. Air functions in the mental realm of thoughts, ideas, vibration and perspective. Aquarius as the most expanded Air sign brings a cosmic perspective on life and often brings radical new ideas to humanity. Aquarius is the detached, free-spirited visionary exploring unconventional territory. It is interested in helping the world become a better place through humanitarian ideals of love and truth. Aquarius is unique, inventive, progressive and original.
This new moon brings you innovative and progressive original ideas to help you gain insight and get a cosmic perspective on your life vision. This is the time to launch new ideas, explore unconventional and unique systems, create your own way of doing things, and take risks. Aquarius’s ability to revolutionize your thinking helps you to take a quantum leap in some area of your life.”
So, here we go!!! As the IdeaConnect Partners, we collectively set intention to:
Increase our use of and openness to be supported by new Technology and radical innovation; to be able to jump in and to be supported toward realization of our 2014 Vision.
Allow any blockages, fears, challenges or obstacles to be instantly cleared away to allow ease of interaction with and utilization of the new, the radical, the ever changing and evolving Technology.
To be supported by our current technology: so we may bring our unique expression into the world and support and connect with others in development of Facilitative Leadership; seeding interest, curiosity and meaningful development of Facilitative Leadership around the world.
To access and harness what is most helpful – the most up to date Technology – for development of all our Cool Tools, workshops and trainings; to explore new ways of bringing Cool Tools, trainings, workshops and forums to others through the web and other digital formats.
So Be It!!
With Love and Gratitude, Lynette
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Gratitude for THE GROVE
If you haven’t ever worked with or visited The Grove Consultants International, we, at IdeaConnect, highly recommend you check out what they have to offer. Speaking from personal experience, this is one community of people that impacted my life in a major way. I send them appreciation everyday!
So what’s amazing about the Grove…well, EVERYTHING! I first encountered the Grove in 1994 when Lynette talked me into going to their Principals of Graphic Facilitation training. This “technology” of conversation, using graphic templates and graphic recording to support group work, was something I got really excited about. GREAT TRAINING BY GREAT PEOPLE! I was transformed in my work style.
In the late 90’s, we became strategic alliance partners with the Grove as we introduced our graphic template line for LearningConnect, a guided learning approach. The Grove became our publisher, taking care of details. Thank goodness, I really didn’t have full understanding until recently as we are preparing to take over the responsibility of publishing our materials. THANK YOU! My work in the world was supported by these published products.
In 2002, The Personal Compass: A Workbook for Visioning and Goal Setting was first introduced and Lynette became a design partner for their first workshops. We started using The Personal Compass at our own company visioning retreats and have incorporated into our Women in Progress, a mother and teen daughter workshop. I am transformed in my work and personal life, especially with my 2 daughters who have participated in the Women in Progress with me, see my blog about collaging.
Today, the people at The Grove continue to support us as we move into the final work on our e-store. Generous and supportive are words that come to mind. I will always be so appreciative of The Grove.
So what’s amazing about the Grove…well, EVERYTHING! I first encountered the Grove in 1994 when Lynette talked me into going to their Principals of Graphic Facilitation training. This “technology” of conversation, using graphic templates and graphic recording to support group work, was something I got really excited about. GREAT TRAINING BY GREAT PEOPLE! I was transformed in my work style.
In the late 90’s, we became strategic alliance partners with the Grove as we introduced our graphic template line for LearningConnect, a guided learning approach. The Grove became our publisher, taking care of details. Thank goodness, I really didn’t have full understanding until recently as we are preparing to take over the responsibility of publishing our materials. THANK YOU! My work in the world was supported by these published products.
In 2002, The Personal Compass: A Workbook for Visioning and Goal Setting was first introduced and Lynette became a design partner for their first workshops. We started using The Personal Compass at our own company visioning retreats and have incorporated into our Women in Progress, a mother and teen daughter workshop. I am transformed in my work and personal life, especially with my 2 daughters who have participated in the Women in Progress with me, see my blog about collaging.
Today, the people at The Grove continue to support us as we move into the final work on our e-store. Generous and supportive are words that come to mind. I will always be so appreciative of The Grove.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
COLLAGING CREATES POSSIBILITIES & OUTCOMES
Recently, during one of our IdeaConnect weekly calls, we discussed collaging (with pictures) and Lynette said, “Well, collaging IS one of our processes.”
Wow. I hadn’t thought about it like that before. Of course collaging is one of our processes….but doesn’t everyone do it? Well, the answer is likely NO, but they might wish to. I’ve seen amazing things happen from collaging while setting intentions or to clarify them.
For me, collaging is fun. It helps me access my intuition and open to new ideas. It connects me to me and to the others I choose to share with, in a deeper way. It grounds me in what is most important and stretches me at the same time, something I can’t do with a list of things or even my written journal entries. Collaging adds depth to my dreams, articulated and unarticulated. I find it is true, a picture is worth 1,000 words.
Now if you are interested, collaging can go much deeper, into a world of magical wonderfulness. Here are a couple of my personal family experiences…
10 years ago I happened to be visioning about how I wanted to live and I had some wonderful pictures and sketches about what I’d like my surroundings to be in the future, then I found this amazing picture of a happy woman sitting on suitcases and stuck that to my collage. Within the next year my husband was offered a promotion and move…and guess what, the place we found looked exactly like my sketches and pictures. We packed our suitcases and now live in a very beautiful part of the country. One thing I forgot in the vision was to be more specific about where, I may be more specific next time I’m ready to move…depends on what my intentions will be.
My teenage daughter was a participant in IdeaConnect’s first Women In Progress: A Workshop for Mothers & Teen Daughters a few years ago. Her collage for the coming years was exciting as she worked through the week articulating what she was passionate about and then making some future plans. One of her passions was Track. She went on to have an amazing experience…more exciting than she could have imagined. She earned a spot to run in the PA State Track & Field Championships in the 800m as a freshman in HS, and it wasn’t even her main event. Later on we noticed she had placed a runner on her collage…she had done it because of the perspective of the shot and she planned to run…what we didn’t notice until later was that the runner competing in the 800m run.
These were my own personal experiences but as a part of our company, IdeaConnect, our process of collaging has shaped and evolved and opened up new possibilities for us. Our collective collaging has guided how we evolve our trainings, how we choose to run our business, how we connect with others. Collaging with pictures is a powerful tool (or process) that creates outcomes for us. It really is a gift we give to ourselves.
Wow. I hadn’t thought about it like that before. Of course collaging is one of our processes….but doesn’t everyone do it? Well, the answer is likely NO, but they might wish to. I’ve seen amazing things happen from collaging while setting intentions or to clarify them.
For me, collaging is fun. It helps me access my intuition and open to new ideas. It connects me to me and to the others I choose to share with, in a deeper way. It grounds me in what is most important and stretches me at the same time, something I can’t do with a list of things or even my written journal entries. Collaging adds depth to my dreams, articulated and unarticulated. I find it is true, a picture is worth 1,000 words.
Now if you are interested, collaging can go much deeper, into a world of magical wonderfulness. Here are a couple of my personal family experiences…
10 years ago I happened to be visioning about how I wanted to live and I had some wonderful pictures and sketches about what I’d like my surroundings to be in the future, then I found this amazing picture of a happy woman sitting on suitcases and stuck that to my collage. Within the next year my husband was offered a promotion and move…and guess what, the place we found looked exactly like my sketches and pictures. We packed our suitcases and now live in a very beautiful part of the country. One thing I forgot in the vision was to be more specific about where, I may be more specific next time I’m ready to move…depends on what my intentions will be.
My teenage daughter was a participant in IdeaConnect’s first Women In Progress: A Workshop for Mothers & Teen Daughters a few years ago. Her collage for the coming years was exciting as she worked through the week articulating what she was passionate about and then making some future plans. One of her passions was Track. She went on to have an amazing experience…more exciting than she could have imagined. She earned a spot to run in the PA State Track & Field Championships in the 800m as a freshman in HS, and it wasn’t even her main event. Later on we noticed she had placed a runner on her collage…she had done it because of the perspective of the shot and she planned to run…what we didn’t notice until later was that the runner competing in the 800m run.
These were my own personal experiences but as a part of our company, IdeaConnect, our process of collaging has shaped and evolved and opened up new possibilities for us. Our collective collaging has guided how we evolve our trainings, how we choose to run our business, how we connect with others. Collaging with pictures is a powerful tool (or process) that creates outcomes for us. It really is a gift we give to ourselves.
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